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May 31, 2016

How to Analyze Your Unspoken Communication

Is it true? Is it
kind? Is it necessary?These are simple, yet profound, guidelines that a friend
suggests everyone follow when communicating. What are some benefits of
following these policies?

Less confusion

Less anger
and hurt feelings

More free
time (since people would talk much less. lol.)

Let’s put it
this way: Jesus was on the cross for about 5 ½ hours, but he spoke only seven
crucial statements. His words lasted about one minute. There was no mistaking
the importance of his clear message. He knew what he wanted to say, and he said
it. No muss. No fuss.

Confusing Meanings

Human beings
are usually different. Illness, fatigue, anger, sadness, anxiety, and any
number of variables can factor into our intended (or unintended) message. It’s
easy to give or take offense where none is meant. It’s also simple to
misunderstand even the most basic ideas. That’s probably because words are packed
with emotion—every one of them.

For instance, “Indian” was once a perfectly acceptable term in America. I don’t
know if the word was considered insulting, but it was unclear. It was used to
refer to indigenous Americans as well as people originating from the Indian
subcontinent.

In recent
decades, “Native American” has
become the more accepted term. It clarifies the fact that these individuals were
the first inhabitants of the land, not theEuropeans. Still, this wasn’t
satisfying to everyone.

Within the
past two years, I have also heard the term, “First Nations”. This label seems to be satisfactory for two
reasons:

It still acknowledges that these people were
the first dwellers in the land.

It lets us
know that this unit includes many
tribes and traditions. In other words, it doesn’t group them all together. Nobody
loses their identity.

The Furor Over one Name

For the past
two to three years, there has been a huge controversy over the name of
Washington D.C’s National Football League (NFL) team, The Washington Redskins. This name is considered to be
an unacceptable throwback to an earlier, more disrespectful, time. Thousands
of people have pressured the owner to change the name. There has been a huge backlash on social
media. Fifty U.S. senators have written to the NFL commissioner. They have
asked him to endorse a name change.

My Conclusion

How can we
overstate the importance of words, if a single word can spark a social-media
blitz and a senatorial campaign? Let’s not forget the fact that the accepted
names for social groups change throughout the decades, too!

Since words
are so incredibly powerful and fragile, we’ll want to ensure that our
communication is clear, kind, and necessary. Proverbs 15:1 gives us an image of
how compassionate communication benefits the speaker/writer as well as the
listener/reader: “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word turns up
anger.” (NIV)